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mtic
Level 2

QBO 2023 How to apply import costs to inventory?

We maintain stock levels for our customers of the same SKU. As an example:

 

On day 1 we purchase product A, 100 units at $10 factory price. ($1000 total)

The freight to import is $100, the duty payment is $100.

Total is $1200/100 units = $12/unit cost of goods.

No sales this month.

 

On day 30 we purchase product A, 100 units at $10 factory price. ($1000 total)

The freight to import is $200, the duty payment is $100.

Total is $1300/100 units = $13/unit cost of goods.

 

We receive an order for 150 units at sales price of $20. ($3000 total)

We ship 150 units.

Using First In, First Out (FIFO) method, our COGS on this sale was $1850 (100 units of $12 cogs, 50 units of $13 unit cogs).

 

Currently in QBO, all freight, duty, and several unmentioned costs of import are captured as expenses. Incurred at the moment we paid them. The only part that is captured in acrual methods are the factory costs of goods. The problem is, if I buy a lot of inventory in one year, my expenses are inflated from the import costs that year. The next year when I sell it, the expenses are lower and my profits soar. I would prefer to capture the actual costs to each sale.

 

It gets even more complicated when I factor in that all my SKUs have different cubic volume, and therefore have varying amounts of freight costs per item (i.e. 1 bath towel is going to cost more freight and storage costs than 1 pair of socks).

 

I am 100% certain that many people have similar business setups to this, what is the best way to capture this in QBO? Or, are there add-ons or upgrades to get this capability?

3 Comments 3
Candice C
QuickBooks Team

QBO 2023 How to apply import costs to inventory?

Hey there, @mtic

 

I appreciate you stopping by asking your question about inventory within your QuickBooks Online account. 

 

Note: Before doing any of the actions below, review this with your accountant to be sure this is right for your business. 

 

I recommend entering the bill for items/qty received and enter the cost per item as you know them at that time. This stocks the items with qty and cost. 

 

When you pay additional costs, shipping customs, and more, post them to a clearing account. 

 

Afterwards, edit the original bill: 

 

  1. Add a portion of the total amount in the clearing account to each item total cost. 
  2. In the account details part of the bill, choose the clearing account, and enter the full amount in the account as a negative number. The total of the bill will not change. 

 

All of these details and more are provided by Rustler on this guide below: 

 

Additional cost to inventory items

 

I hope this helps. If not, please come back and we'll do our best to give you the solution you need. Have a wonderful day! 

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

QBO 2023 How to apply import costs to inventory?

@mtic 

Consider having an inventory management app with the landed cost allocation feature to integrate with QBO. This feature is only available in QB Desktop at this time.

noorina4
Level 1

QBO 2023 How to apply import costs to inventory?

As i know it's depending on the complexity of your inventory tracking needs, you may need to import data from external systems or export data from QBO to perform more advanced calculations or use specialized inventory management software. 

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